Infant&#39;s garment



July 5, 1938. A. FRIDQLPH INFANTS GARMENT Filed May 8, 1935 3Sheets-Sheet 1 TTORNEYS July 5, 1938. A. FRIDOLPH INFANTS GARMENT FiledMay 8, 1935 3 Sheets-Shoot 2 INVENTQR 1 ATTORNEYS Patented July 5, 1938UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to infants diapers and has for itsobject toprovide an article of this character which is fashioned from a singlethickness of clothin such manner that when placed on the infantsufficient overlying folds will be provided where necessary to protectthe outer garments of the infant without the undesirable bulk around itswaist and legs, which is unavoid able with the ordinary diaper.

The ordinary infant's diaper consists of a piece of cloth of square orrectangular shape, usually large enough in size to be so folded as toprovide three or four thicknesses of material throughout. When a diaperof this character is pinned onto the infant, it is necessarily bulkyaround the waist andlegs, particularly where the edges or corners areoverlapped for fastening. The disadvantages inherent in diapers of thiskind have led to the production of various forms of fabricated diaperswherein the middle portion of the diaper is formed of several layers ofmaterial permanently sewed together with the contour of the fabricshaped to be pinned or buttoned onto the infant. Such garments, however,have not met with favor for various reasons, but principally becausethey do not withstand repeated washings of the thoroughness necessaryfor a pad of this character.

By my invention I provide a diaper which has no more bulk around thewaist and legs of the infant than the fabricated diapers above referredto and which at the same time is as readily washed as the ordinary clothdiaper.

A further object of the invention is to provide a a diaper which may bereadily adjusted both at the waist and at the legs, so that a stock ofthree or four different sizes is all that is required to properly outfitinfants of all sizes.

A further object of the invention is to provide an article of this classwherein extra layers of material, either of absorbent wadding or ofrubber or other waterproof fabric, may be employed without specialfasteners of any kind and also without such extra material coming incontact with the body of the infant.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a diaper whichrequires but little more than half the cloth required for the ordinarysquare or oblong diaper.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the preferred form of myinvention and several modifications thereof, and in the said drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the manner in which my improveddiaper is folded around 'the body of the infant;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the diaper as it appears when ready to be puton the infant;

Figure. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 11 is a plan view of the blank from which the diaper of Figures 9and 10 is made;

Figure 12 is a perspective detail of a modification of the strap orholding means, applied to garments of cloth;

Figure 13 is a plan, or developed, view showing modified holding means;

Figure 14 is a folded view of another form of holding means;

Figure 15 is a plan view of a blank variant of that of Figure 11;

Figure 16 is a plan view of the diaper of Figure 4 modified so as to beable to make it of tissue or other paper;

Figure 17 shows the blank of Figure 15 folded to provide a fiat smoothobverse surface, and

Figure 18 is a developed view of Figure 12.

In manufacturing the diapers they are preferably cut from a continuousweb of material as indicated in Figure 5. The material is preferably alight weight cotton cloth of the character ordinarily used for diapers,and it is cut to provide a middle body portion I extending the fullwidth of the web and side extensions 2 of somewhat less width, the onlywaste in cutting this form of the diaper being the small strips cut offat the ends of these side extensions 2. The extensions 2 are partiallyseparated from the body portion by transverse cuts 3 which extend forpart of their length at right angles to the length of the web and arethen curved inwardly toward each other and also toward the middle of theweb, as shown at 4.

The margins of the body portion are folded along a line co-extensivewith the ends of the extensions 2, as shown in Figure 4, and arestitched at the corners, forming in effect a. wide hem which by virtueof the middle part being unstitched, provides a pocket 5 to receive theends of the extensions when the latter are folded over as shown inFigure 2. The edges of the extensions and the unfolded edges of the bodyportions may be finished with blanket stitching or in any other desiredfashion, or may be left unfinished.

The diaper may, if desired, be provided with buttons or other suitablefasteners or may be left without fastenings to be held in place bysafety pins, after the manner of the ordinary diaper. I prefer, however,to provide the fastening means length of tape 6 sewed at its middle, asindicated at 1, to the body portion near one edge and at the middle ofthe pocket or hem 5. The tape is provided with buttons 8 or otherfastening means at each end and at the other edge of the body portionnear the stitched ends of the other pocket or hem 5, a plurality ofbuttonholes 9 are provided, the buttonholes being arranged at differentdistances from the lateral edges of the body portion and also from thetransverse edges, whereby. when the garment is folded around the infant,as shown in Figure 1, the waist dimensign may be adjusted and also thesize of the leg opening. Usually three buttonholes placed as indicatedin the drawings, are sufficient for practical purposes, but a greater orless number and a different arrangement may be provided, if desired.Also, of course, the buttonholes may be applied to the tape and thebuttons attached to the diaper as in Figure 14, or snap fasteners may beemployed, or any other suitable fastening means.

The improved diaper, when folded and applied as described, providesthree thicknesses of'cloth throughout the middle portion of the diaper,with but a single thickness throughoutthe greater part of theoverlapping portions at the waist and around the legs of the infant,thereby greatly reducing the bulk of the garment at these points. Ifdesired, the middle portion of the diaper may be rendered impervious byenclosing within the folds of the body portion and the extensions, extralayers of material, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. For example, a thinsheet of rubber may be used, or a plurality of layers. of absorbentcellulose tissue may be used, or as shown, a sheet I 0 of rubber may beemployed together with the overlying sheets ll of tissue. When so used,the rubber and tissue sheets are completely enclosed between thebodyportion of the diaper on the outside and the overlying extensions onthe inside next to the body of the infant. The sheets'of rubber andtissue are held securely in place by the overlapping extensions whichare tucked at their ends into the pockets provided at the lateral edgesof the body portion of the diaper. When so folded, the diaper with itsenclosed protective material can be handled in the same man ner as theordinary fabricated diaper wherein the greater part of its length,offers no real difficulty to complete and thorough washing.

I'n Figures 6, '7 and 8, I have shown a modified form of diaper whereinthe body portion la is of the same design as in the preferred form. Inthis form of the invention, however, the extension 2a is at one sideonly of the body portion but is of a width such that the extension canbe folded to a double thickness on the transverse fold l3 before theextension is folded over onto the body portion so that when the diaperis folded it is of substantially the same shape as the firstdescribedform.

To facilitate the manufacture of the garment, the web of cloth fromwhich the diapers are made may be hemmed along both edges, as shown inFigure 8, before the transverse cuts 3 and 4 are made, the stitching ofthe hem being interrupted at intervals to provide the pockets 5 'ateach' edge of the body portion. This edge stitching with periodicinterruption may be readily carried out with automatic machines now onthe market for that purpose, as the web of cloth is advanced to thecutters, or both out and stitched on the same machine.

In Figures 9, 10 and 11, I have shown a further modified form of garmentwherein the extensions are formed by diagonal cuts l4 adjacent the fourcorners of the sheet offabric from which the diapers are fashioned. Asshown in Figure 11, the sheet is substantially square, and the pocketsl5 are formed by turning overthe opposite edges in the manner previouslydescribed. This form of my invention requires less cloth than thepreviously described form, the width of the diaper in the directioncorresponding to the length of the web being no greater than the widthof the body portion.

In Figures 12 and 18 the diaper is made of cloth and the fastening meansof Figure 1 are shown modified to eliminate the stitching l, the strap 6being held in place by a loop or tab 2i.

In Figure 13 there is shown an embodiment obviating the necessity ofusing parts comprising pockets like 5, yet retaining all the advantagesthereof, and including incisions or slits 28' instead of the pockets,for receiving the foldedover ends. The diaper may be made either of theregular cloth, or of fibrous, vegetable sheetmaterial, such as paper.

The article of Figures 15 and 17 is somewhat similar to that of Figures9, 10, and 11, but in this instance the blank is preferably made ofpaper, and instead of having its corners truncated, as in Figure 11, hasthem full and intact, and instead of pockets such as 5, has slits 23 toreceive the ends, as shown in Figure 17.

In Figure 16 is shown an article of the present invention made ofabsorbent web or tissue, such as cellulose flock, or paper. The paperdiaper of Figure 16 resembles that of Figure 4, but omits the pockets 5,the strap 6 and button fasteners, etc., instead employing the slots 22to receive the corners of the folded extensions to make the diaperencircle the infants body and be securely held there.

My improved diaper is well adapted also to be made of paper or otherdisposable sheet material, in which instance the folded-over marginaledges forming the pockets I 5 will be fastened at their ends witheyelets or with one of the separable parts of an ordinary snap fastener,in which instance the fastener serves the double purpose of forming thepocket, or, whenmade of paper or the like, they may be pressed togetherat the edges by felting when they are cut out of the piled blanks. Theside extensions may obviously' be made of any width desired so as to befolded once or twice against itself before being folded against the bodyportion to thereby provide as many thicknesses of material at the middleof the body portion as desired.

It will of course be understood that the shape -of the garment may beotherwise modified with- 1. As a new article of manufacture, an infant'sdiaper comprising a body portion of sheet material and an extension atone sidethereof, the body portion having spaced, relatively shallowpockets along the edges at right angles to the its hemmed edges than inthe middle, an extension on one side of said body portion, saidextension being wider in the middle portion than at the ends andconnected thereto only at the narrow middle part of the said bodyportion, whereby when the said extension is foldedover against the bodyportion it will cover only the middle, narrow portion thereof, the endsof said extension being inserted within said folds when the extension isfolded over against the body portion.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a diaper formed pf a singlethickness of material comprising a body portion having folds at twoopposite edges thereof, the said folds being stitched at their ends onlyto thereby form shallow pockets, said body portion being of greaterwidth along its hemmed edges than in the middle, extensions on bothsides of said body portion, said extensions being wider in the middleportion than at the ends and connected thereto only at the narrow middlepart of said body portion, whereby when the extensions are folded overthey will cover only the middle narrow portion thereof, the ends of saidextension being inserted within said folds when the extension is foldedover against the body portion.

4. As a new article of manufacture, an infant's diaper comprising a bodyportion of sheet material having its end portions wider than the middleportion and an extension on one side thereof connected to the middleportion of the body portion, said body portion having an opening at eachend through which the opposite ends of the extension may be inserted tolie behind a part of said body portion at each end thereof when theextension is folded over against the body portion along a linetransverse of the connection of the body portion and the extension.

5. As a new article of manufacture, an infant's diaper comprising a bodyportion of sheet material having its end'portions wider than the middleportion, an extension on one side thereof connected to the middleportion of the body portion, said body portion havirigan opening at eachend through which the opposite ends of the extension maybe inserted tolie behind a part of said body portion at each end thereof when theextension is folded over against the body portion along a linetransverse of the connection of the body por-' tion and the extension,and means for fastening the diaper in place comprising a tape attachedto the body portion of the diaper at a position to project laterally inopposite directions from the middle, fastening means at the ends of thetape and a plurality of co-operating fastening means attached to theopposite sides of the body portion of the diaper, said co-operatingfastening means being positioned at different distances both verticallyand laterally from the corner of the diaper, whereby both the waistdimension and the leg openings of the diaper when in place on an infantmay be varied by the selection of one or another of the co-operatingfastenings.

said body portion being of greater width along 6. As a new article ofmanufacture, an infant's diaper comprising a body portion of sheetmaterial having its end portions wider than the middle portion, anextension on one side thereof connected to the middle portion of thebody portion, said body portion having an opening at each end throughwhich the opposite ends of the extension may be inserted to lie behind apart of said body portion at each end thereof when the extension isfolded over against the body portion along a line transverse of theconnection of the body portion and the extension, and means forfastening the diaper in place comprising a loop. a separate tape passedthrough the loop and projected laterally in opposite directions from themiddle, male fastening means on the end .of the tape and the pluralityof female fastening members formed in the opposite sides of said bodyportion, said latter fastening means being positioned at differentdistances, both vertically and laterally from the corner of the diaper.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a diaper formed of a singlethickness of material, comprising a body portion having incisionstherethrough along two opposite edges, the end portions of said bodyportion being of greater width than the middle portion, extensions ontwo other sides of said body portion, said extensions being of a lengthsuflicient to extend outwardly beyond the incisions in the body portionsand being wider in the middle than at the ends, saidextensions beingconnected to the body portion only at the narrower middle portionthereof, said extensions being adapted to be folded over the narrowermiddle portion of the body portion and to have parts of their respectiveend portions passed through the'incisions in the body portion.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a diaper formed of a singlethickness of material, comprising a body portion having incisionstherethrough along two opposite edges, the end portions of said bodyportion being of greater width than the middle portion, extensions ontwo other sides of said body portion, said extensions being of a lengthless than the length of the body portion but sufficient to extendoutwardly beyond the incisions in the body portion and being wider inthe middle than at the ends, said extensions being connected to the bodyportion only at the narrower middle portion thereof, said extensionsbeing adapted to be folded over the narrower middle portion of the bodyportion, and to have parts of their respective end portions passedthrough the incisions in the body portion.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a diaper formed of a singlethickness of fibrous vegetable material, comprising a body portionhaving diagonally extending incisions adjacent two opposite edges, theend portions of said body portion being of greater width than the middleportion, extensions on two other sides of said body portion, saidextensions being of a length less than the length of the body portionbut sufilcient to extend outwardly beyond the incisions in the bodyportion and .being wider in the middle than at the ends, said extensionsbeing connected to the body portion only at the narrow middle portionthereof, said extensions being adapted to be folded over the narrowermiddle portion of the body, portion, and to have parts of theirrespective end portions passed through the incisions in the bodyportion.

ANNETTE FRIDOLPH.

